My half of a Trade with Soarran over on Twitter, starring their friend   sylvejon , who tries out Pokemon contests for the first time, unaware of the fine print when signing up.

The creation of this one was a mess. I got way too ambitious, on top of the issues I mentioned prior, and only just finished it the other day. Thankfully neither of them seemed to mind the wait time.

You can find Soarran's side of the trade here!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Blue Ribbon Performance

Pokemon contests. A place for trainers and pokemon to show off their bond and skills, not through hard-fought battle, but through intricate performances that wow the hearts and minds of the judges and audiences. In some ways, it could be considered an even greater challenge than your average pokemon battle, which is why the receptionist found it so interesting that the person before them was signing up to take part in the next one.

“Name and Trainer Card please?” She’d ask as she peered over her desktop computer, sizing up the shy looking man. Why would someone like him be signing up for this? Did he know what he was getting himself into? It wasn’t her place to judge though

“Oh uh… it’s Jon, and here” He’d respond nervously as he rummaged through his wallet, taking out the card and sliding it onto the desk, before taking a step back, fidgeting with his hands as she scanned the card and looked over the information that popped up on her screen, mouse clicking as she brought up numerous windows and scrolled through them. After a moment that seemed to last forever for the trainer, she finally handed his trainer card back, turning her attention back towards him. “Everything looks good here. Since this is a duo’s performance, what Pokemon will you be registering to perform alongside you?”

Jon would seem to get flustered by that question, his fidgeting increasing. “I… uh… I don’t have any pokemon… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. We can lend you a rental pokemon to act as your partner. Do you have any particular pokemon you’d like to be partnered up with?” She’d inquire as she turned her attention back to the screen He’d perk up at that, briefly seeming to forget his previous nervousness as he smiled “Oh! If you’ve got one… I’m a really huge fan of Milotic. I’d love to be partnered up with one if possible!”

“Oh! Certainly. We’ve got quite a few Milotic here. I’ll just finish filling out the form and… done! You are now registered for the duos Contest. The door to the preparation rooms are on the right. You’re door number 7. Your Milotich should be waiting for you inside”

As Jon turned to leave, the receptionist would call out to him “Wait! Before you go, take this.” She’d say placing something in his hand. Some kind of ribbon bow…? “Just a little good luck charm for your performance. It should help you with your nerves while on stage. I hope your performance goes well!” She’d say cheerfully as Jon turned to leave, staring at the bow as he made his way through the door and down the corridor. Just what was so special about this ribbon? He felt a bit embarrassed, but would attach it to his brooch, before arriving at door 7. With a couple deep breaths to hype himself up, he'd open the door, revealing a small room, a couch and table set up against the wall, as well as a small table and booth covered in different costume pieces and accessories. On the far wall, a large mirror hung, reflecting the whole room in its entirety. Probably for checking costumes and appearances. Resting on the table was a pokeball with a piece of paper attached to it. Was this the Milotic he'd been promised?

Jon picked up the pokeball, before pressing the white button in its centre. The ball would glow before cracking open, light spilling out from it’s interior, before coalescing, forming into a tube that seemed to only get thinner and longer, taking on a serpentine appearance as sleek cream coloured scales formed along its length, transitioning into a pattern of red and blue diamonds as it reached the tail, before unfurling into a fan of colourful fins. On the opposite side of the body, a head would come into being, a snout pushing out, followed by a rounded horn, and a pair of antennae. As the face finished forming, two long crimson fins would sprout from above the eyes, long and flat, almost resembling eyebrows. The Pokemon’s body would slither through the air, before curling up as it opened its eyes, turning its attention towards Jon.

“Alright. So… we should probably start with introductions. I’m Jon. I guess I’ll be your trainer for the contest?” He’d say nervously. The Milotic just stared back at him silently. Jon wished he could tell what it was thinking. Was it just thinking? Was it confused?... disappointed?

“S-sorry if I’m not the kind of trainer you’re used to. I’ve never… actually performed in an actual contest before. Or… been a trainer for a Milotic. I’ve always wanted to! But… I never got the chance to. That’s why I was so excited. I probably don’t deserve a pokemon as wonderful as you…” Jon would say gloomily, lowering his head, only to feel it slowly raised back up by the serpent’s fan-like tail as it nuzzled the side of his face, catching the man off guard.

“O-oh! I… thank you…” He’d murmur, patting the Milotic’s head as it gave a reassuring chirp, curling back up as it stared at him, before tilting its head to the piece of paper

“Oh! Right. I guess I should read that.” Jon would pick up the piece of paper and looked over it. It seemed to be a printout of the Milotic’s details. It’s personality type… attributes… known moves… everything he needed to know about the pokemon and what it could do. He’d read it over again. Water Pulse… Hail… Ice Beam, and Waterfall. This was perfect! He had just the ideas in mind for this moveset

Within the confines of the room, Jon would go over different ideas and move combinations with the Milotic, slowly creating the perfect routine that would win them this contest! Jon had to admit, he was feeling oddly confident in his chances. Maybe this ribbon really was a good luck charm?

The buzzer on the wall would sound, signalling that the contest was about to start. "Well… I suppose we should get going, right?" Jon would say to the Milotic. He'd give it one last headpat, before recalling it into its pokeball, exiting the room as he made his way down the hallway, and over towards the stage.


“Finally, we have contestant number 3. Jon, and his Milotic!”

Jon would step forward nervously, as he summoned the Milotic from its pokeball. Sensing his nervousness, it would give him a light nudge as the tip of its tail curled supportively around his side.

"T-thank you for having me" He would stammer out, giving a half-hearted bow. He felt so awkward, up here, with everyone's attention on him.

"Okay so… let's begin, I guess" He'd take another deep breath, attempting to compose himself as he recalled the ideas he'd practised with the Milotic beforehand.

“I… start off with hail, please, then water pulse skywards.” They’d command as the Milotic danced, the stage growing colder as flecks of ice began to form in the air, before a stream of water left the serpent’s maw, condensing and freezing around the flecks as they drifted downwards, pulled by gravity as they grew in size and shape, starting to resemble the petals of a flower

“Then… fan!” He’d command, as the Milotic spun around, using the fan on their tail to whip up a gust that blew the falling flecks back skyward as it danced too and fro, keeping the petals aloft.

Slowly but surely, Jon felt his stagefright start to ebb, as his commands to the Milotic lost their stammer, and became more precise and direct, as unbeknownst to the trainer the bow began to glow, tightening until it was snug against his collar, it's ribbons lengthening as Jon felt a surge of enthusiasm flow through his veins. He could do this. He knew he could!

“Now, use waterfall on the flowers!” He’d cry, as the Milotic fanned the blossoms together, before a twisting pillar of water sprouted, splashing against the ice as it split apart and froze, forming branches that further split and froze to more and more petals, the end result looking very similar to that of a tree. The remaining petals twinkled in the light as they drifted to the floor, each one letting out a surprisingly crisp chiming sound, audible to Jon through his now furred ears, which grew longer, fluffier, almost resembling those of a rabbit’s as they moved to the top of his head, a second bow sprouting from his left ear. Though Jon noticed the new sensation, he brushed it off as just some ice that had landed on him. Besides, he had far more important things at hand, as he glanced over to the judge’s to see their reactions. What met his eyes was a trio of stern, almost unreadable faces. Were they impressed? Bored? Disappointed? It was impossible for him to truly know.

As Jon looked over at the judge’s blank expressions, he felt a wave of pins and needles running down his spine. Was it nerves? Or perhaps the soft white fur secretly spreading across his back as he psyched himself up. No no, he wasn’t finished yet. He could still totally wow them.

“First, use Water Pulse upwards!” He’d cry as the Milotic let loose a surge of spiralling water up into the air “Then, use Ice Beam!” Jon would call out as the Milotic shot out a beam of freezing energy, the spiral of water freezing from the inside out, before shattering into a column of icey rings that soon began to fall back down towards the stage.

“Finally, Waterfall!” Jon would say as the Milotic coiled up, summoning a pillar of water which it climbed, before launching itself upwards through the air, twisting and turning as though it were performing some kind of mystical dance, weaving through the hoops as it dived back down towards the ground, before once again shooting back up with another plume of water to repeat the process.

Jon’s toes would shrink down, fusing into just three as the fur made its way across their surface, his feet finishing their transformation into a pair of paws. And with that, his shoes finally slipped free, the footwear no longer capable of staying attached to the new pink furred paws as they evaporated into sparkles of light. As the rings began to close in, Jon would stumble, not yet used to balancing on his toes like this, an equally pink furred tail bursting out from behind just in time to keep Jon balanced as he leapt out of the way of the falling rings and the dancing Milotic, who wove and spun, catching each ring as they circled around it’s cylindrical torso like hula hoops.

Despite the chill and ice covering the stage, Jon could barely feel it, thanks to the fur coat now completely covering his body, keeping it insulated from the cold. A glance over at the judges showed they were definitely impressed by the performance. But he wasn’t done just yet! He still had one last act to put on, and with his newfound confidence and energy boosting him, he was certain this one would blow them all away!

A cheerful grin would make itself known on Jon’s face, just as the white fur finished coating it, pulling their jaw forward into a cute muzzle. But by this point, Jon didn’t even need to say anything to communicate with their Milotic friend, transitioning into the final act as they leapt up into the air, the graceful serpent coiling around, using ice beam to form a spiralling staircase as Jon leapt from stair to stair, slipping slightly but instinctively catching themselves on their hands as they compressed into paws, pulling them up as they seamlessly transitioned into a quadrupedal stance, climbing higher and higher, until they reached the summit of the ice sculpture that had been created.

The Climax had arrived, as the Milotic shot a final ice beam straight up into the sky, Jon’s bow glowing brightly one last time, as the new Sylveon used Dazzling Gleam, the two moves colliding in midair, causing a flurry of glittering sparkles of ice to fill the stage, a picture perfect moment as the crowd erupted in cheers. Jon looked out to see all the adoring and excited faces of the audience, unaware of his eyes turning an incandescent sky blue. He’d… he’d done it? His attention would turn to the contest judges, the hall going silent as the spotlights switched over to them.

It can’t have taken longer than a few seconds, but for Jon, it felt like almost an eternity.

8… 9… 9! He’d won! The Sylveon couldn’t believe it, freezing up as the lights of the stage turned on, and an attendant made their way over to the duo, presenting them both with a blue and white ribbon, the gold medal in the centre shimmering under the bright light as they fastened it to their chests.

“Give it up for Contestant Number 3! Jon and his Milotic!” The announcer would cry to the sounds of the audience’s applause, as Jon was directed off the stage by the attendant.

As Jon wandered backstage, he’d encounter the Receptionist grinning cheerfully. “Congratulations! I knew you could do it! You were amazing out there!” She’d say as he was swept into a surprise hug, before being set back down. “I knew you were a perfect fit for that ribbon”

It was only after the adrenaline and excitement began to fade that Jon finally caught on to his new body. The fact he’d only now just realised was a testament to just how enthralling performing up on stage had been. “Wait… I’m a sylveon now?! When did- Did you know this would happen?!” He’d exclaim, ribbons flailing behind him as his flustered nervousness once again returned

“Well, yeah. Duh. Didn’t you read the documents before signing up? It’s ‘Duos’. The Trainer and Pokemon perform together”

“I thought that meant as a human though…?”

“Don’t get me wrong, but who’d find an improvised human performance that interesting? Especially down here in the Rookie Tier. No no. The two work together as Pokemon to perform. It’s much more entertaining, and you can’t deny that you were enjoying it too. I saw everything on the screen”

“Wait… that was recorded?” The Sylveon would question, ribbons wiggling behind them flustedly

“Wow, you really are new to this. What did you think all those screens in the entrance were for?”

Jon’s blush would further deepen. If it got any worse, he’d probably be considered a new type of shiny pokemon!

"Wait so… am I going to be a pokemon forever?" He'd question, rubbing at his face with his ribbons to try and dispel the blushing

"Hmm? Oh, no no. Once you take the ribbon off you'll turn back to normal. I can do it for you now if you'd like?" The receptionist would offer as she kneeled down and reached out for the ribbon around his neck. Strangely, Jon found himself instinctively taking a step back "Actually uh… I… uh… actually… kind of like being this way. Is it alright if I… leave it on for a while longer?" He'd stammer out, averting his gaze, as that blush he'd worked so hard to erase quickly returned

“Oh?~ Well, we’ll need to go get you registered then. Don’t want anyone to mistake you for a rental pokemon” The Receptionist would say with a grin, clearly amused by Jon’s reaction.

“Don’t worry, you can’t actually be caught in a pokeball anyways, since you are technically still human, just in the body of a Sylveon. They’d just harmlessly bounce off you”

Jon would manage to force himself to make eye contact with her once more “Speaking of rental pokemon… what happens to Milotic now? I guess I… have to return them, right?”

The Receptionist’s smile would widen “Well normally, yes! You would. But… everyone saw how well the two of you performed together, and… well, I think I might be able to pull some strings to make the two of you officially partners! How does that sound?”

“That sounds… great! Where do we go?” Jon would question, forgetting his embarrassment in excitement towards the near future, as the duo made their way down the hallway, ready to start their new profession

Over a year later, the news was abuzz with yet another contest win from the upcoming star that was Jon and his team, officially landing them in the Hyper League, and earning the right to perform alongside the pros!

People did wonder who the trainer behind the pokemon was, why there was never any images of this mysterious person, but little did they know, Jon had long since forgone his humanity. After his fourth win, the receptionist had approached him with a new bow, one that would allow him to be a sylveon permanently. He didn’t hesitate to make the switch. Sometimes he regretted the lack of dexterous hands, but he’d since gotten very experienced with his ribbons, to the point where he didn’t actually need hands anymore.